Ø Taking charge of Specialty Additives segment
Ø Reorganization of the Additives business units
by Suman Gupta
Cologne – The Supervisory Board of LANXESS AG has appointed Anno Borkowsky (60) to the Board of Management of the specialty chemicals company, effective June 1, 2019. In his new role, Borkowsky, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, will take responsibility for the Specialty Additives segment. Currently, he is heading the Additives business unit at LANXESS.
LANXESS Chairman of the Supervisory Board Matthias L. Wolfgruber: “With Anno Borkowsky, a highly experienced LANXESS manager will join the company’s Board of Management. In numerous projects, he has proven his distinct sense for business and products.”
LANXESS Chairman of the Board of Management Matthias Zachert: “The additives business has become increasingly important for LANXESS in recent years – not least due to the acquisition of Chemtura. This is now reflected in the creation of a new area of responsibility within the Board of Management. As a leading additives supplier, we still have many more plans, and Anno Borkowsky is the right man to further expand our position here.”
Anno Borkowsky, born in Cologne in 1959, studied chemistry at the University of Cologne, where he received his doctorate in 1989. He joined Bayer AG in 1990 and became Managing Director of Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH in Mannheim after having worked in the United States of America for several years. In 2004, he became head of business unit Rhein Chemie as part of the establishment of the LANXESS AG. In 2017, he took over as head of the newly formed business unit Additives. Borkowsky is married and has 3 children.
With the appointment of Borkowsky, the Board of Management of LANXESS AG will be expanded to five members. Previously, the Chairman of the Board of Management, Matthias Zachert, held responsibility for the Specialty Additives segment.
In future, three instead of two business units for additives
At the same time, the structure of the Specialty Additives segment will change as of June 1, 2019: it will then comprise three business units instead of two.
The current Additives business unit will be split into two separate business units: Polymer Additives and Lubricant Additives Business. Polymer Additives offers high-quality additives and performance chemicals for the polymer sector, including phosphorus- and bromine-based flame retardants. The portfolio of Lubricant Additives Business ranges from synthetic lubricant base materials to individual additives and additive packages. Karsten Job (Polymer Additives) and Martin Saewe (Lubricant Additives Business) will head the new business units.
The Rhein Chemie business unit, which is also part of the segment, remains unchanged and will continue to be headed by Philipp Junge. Rhein Chemie’s portfolio comprises rubber additives and colorants business.
LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 7.2 billion in 2018. The company currently has about 15,500 employees in 33 countries and is represented at 60 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.
